Dr. McCord is certified to conduct psychological autopsies, a process that helps promote the understanding of the often-asked "why?" question raised by survivors regarding the suicide of their loved one. The psychological autopsy is used in case-controlled research studies to better ascertain risk factors for suicide, and helps to answer questions of causation in both individual and interconnected cases, which are then used to assist in suicide prevention efforts.

Dr. McCord participated in the training in October 2011, and was subsequently hired as a Psychological Autopsy Investigator by AAS for the USMC Suicide Prevention Psychological Autopsy Project. This past summer she was lead investigator on one USMC case, and her report was submitted for certification.